Nothing could have prepared her for this. Well, that’s not entirely true. There were a lot of things that could’ve prepared Nia for the aches and pains of waking up before dawn was even a thought and toiling away in a kitchen with a demon to make buns, breads and other baked treats, but Nia hadn’t done any of them. Instead, she was tired, sweating and her entire body ached. It definitely didn’t help that Sadie was moving throughout the kitchen as if this was the easiest thing in the world. Maybe she had some secret demonic strength that she wasn’t sharing or some weird magic that helped her along, but either way, Nia spent her time kneading and mixing thinking of ways that she could escape this yeasty hell kitchen.
“It’s literally the first day, things will get easier, and then maybe when we have more information we can think about making a different move,” Isaac said in the back of her head, and all she had left was to growl at him. He didn’t seem bothered, and Sadie didn’t even seem to notice.
“You do this every day?” Nia asked.
“I told you you should’ve gone to bed sooner,” Sadie answered while transferring a tray of what looked like croissants from the oven, and moving a tray of rolls in their place.
As if they could’ve gotten any sleep after such a strange day. They lay on the (thankfully comfortable) couch in the apartment above the bakery, and tried to make any sense of what had happened to them. It felt like they finally passed out just minutes before being awoken by Sadie so they could help her in the kitchen. They baked occasionally as a hobby when they had the time, but that was worlds different than trying to help in a professional kitchen. Sadie was precise about her recipes, and demanded that same precision from them.
“Can I ask you something that’s been bothering me?” Nia decided to try and at least distract herself from the work. “How are there buildings hanging down above us?”
“I’m not sure I can explain the how, but I know they started building from the top of the dimension when space started running out on the ground. You can only build so close to the Depths, and all the rich people went up there where they can move around with their flying chariots and gryphons.”
“I almost got hit by one of those yesterday,” Nia complained.
“Yeah, the people up there really think they’re in a different world, and barely pay attention when it comes to us on the ground.”
“I guess it’s the same bullshit in whatever world you’re in.”
“Ain’t that the truth, and now Pioneer corp is trying to buy up all the property around here, but you bet I told them where they can shove their offer.”
“Pioneer Corp?”
“Wow, you really must’ve taken a hit to the head or something. They’re the biggest megacorporation in the multiverse. You probably took a Pioneer Liner to get through the Liminal Gate. Hell, they operate most of the Liminal Gates too.”
“Damn, I can’t believe they have capitalism in magic space too.”
“I’ve heard there are some Verses that have figured out a different way of doing things, but I’m sure Pioneer is working to buy them up too. If they can, of course.”
“At least magic space capitalism means that we might have some options if we’re able to save up some money,” Isaac said.
“If magic space capitalism is as bad as it is on Earth, I don’t know if we’re going to be able to save up any money,” Rhys said.
That soured their mood further, but there wasn’t anything that they could do about it except keep working. Their arms were sore, and they felt like they’d sweat more than they ever have in their life, but there was a little pride in seeing their hard work turned into such delicious treats. Even if the ones they worked on didn’t look nearly as good as the ones that Sadie created.
“Sadie, where are you from?” Nia asked as the silence had gone on too long for her comfort.
“Haven born and raised, but I’d like to do some traveling eventually.”
“Where would you go first?”
“I think I’d have to start at the Threshold Hotel you know? An entire dimension dedicated to one hotel has to have the service down to perfection, but after that I think I’d like to just wander to wherever the wind takes me. Maybe hop aboard a long hauler and just wander throughout the multiverse. Hell, maybe I could even create my own guide to the multiverse.”
“I’m not sure if that sounds romantic or terrifying,” Nia said.
“You can’t have one without the other.” Sadie smiled at Nia for a moment before going back to moving baked goods to the front and cycling them through the ovens. “So what was it like in your home verse?”
“It’s hard to explain. It feels so normal to me, but everything else seems so strange, so how do I even describe it? There were theories about multiverses, but no one actually knew that they were out there, and there definitely wasn’t any magic, or at least, none that I was aware of. I had a girlfriend that said she was a witch once, but all that really meant was she listened to cards for advice and hung crystals everywhere and drank weird tea. There weren’t flying chariots, or upside down buildings, and everyone was human.”
“That sounds incredibly boring to me,” Sadie said. Nia wasn’t sure if she was trying to make her feel better, but she hadn’t considered that this might be a good thing for her. She couldn’t forget how much she missed her friends and her family, and wondered about what was happening with them, but she also wasn’t happy in her job, or her life in general. She definitely didn’t do any work that felt as exhausting but rewarding as baking.
“There were some parts that were really fun, but most of the time it was boring.”
“Tell me about something that you enjoyed then.”
“The music first off. I can’t imagine you guys have punk rock out here. I miss my friends, dungeons and dragons, and Magic the Gathering.”
“I thought you said that you didn’t have magic?”
“It’s not the same. It’s a game that involves cards, and playing pretend. We have stories about magic, but nothing like this.”
“Ah, well, if you aren’t too tired after your shift tonight, maybe I could show you some of the stuff that you could enjoy about Haven. I don’t know how it will compare to what you’ve experienced before, but we do have our own music here.”
“That sounds amazing.” They stopped and shared a smile before Sadie directed Nia on what to do next, and they finished the prep work and were ready to open the shop. Nia wasn’t sure if she was going to have the energy to go out on the town after the shift since she already felt like she did an entire day’s worth of labor, but they still had customers to deal with. If they were anything like the customers at Eastridge 14, then she was going to need every ounce of energy she had to get through the day.
While Nia was waiting behind the counter for customers, Sadie brought her a glass bottle filled with a green liquid with a smile that Nia wasn’t sure if she trusted. It reminded her of how someone might approach a wild animal hoping that they would sense their whimsy and not go running off.
“Okay, so this tastes terrible, but it should help perk you up,” Sadie said.
“I’ll take whatever you’ve got.” Nia took a tentative sip of the drink, and it reminded her of drinking a mixture of gasoline and melted-down, rejected Halloween candies. So, remarkably similar to Red Bull, and she could feel it taking effect almost immediately. At least they still have energy drinks in magic space, but she wasn’t sure why Sadie didn’t offer it earlier.
The Interdimesional Traveler’s Guide to the Shattered Verse Presents: The Threshold Hotel
I don’t have to tell you that the Threshold Hotel is a must stop while traveling through the Cracks. The staff at the Threshold are committed to service and discretion so you can be sure that your safety and your needs are well taken care of, no matter what sort of business you might find yourself in.
The Threshold has always been my favorite spot to lie low when the world gets a bit too dangerous or some unsavory character is on my tail. You also meet some of the most interesting characters while staying at the Threshold Hotel. Some of which are long time residents, and some are just stopping by, but if you happen to be sitting next to them at the bar, you can sometimes get the most interesting stories.
Let me return to the last time that I was staying at the Threshold. I was sitting in the Edge (the hotel bar) which has the most delightful art nouveau aesthetics. The decor sets a comfy and quiet environment with the dim lighting and private rooms. I ordered one of their seasonal drinks, Paradise on the Bay of Gul, which was delightfully strong and fruity.
A woman with the strangest arm sat down next to me. She appeared to be human, but her arm looked like it had been grafted on from some sort of monstrous spider. It took most of the night, but I was able to get the following story from her:
She grew up hundreds of years ago on the streets of Orali with her twin brother. They lied, fought and stole what they needed in order to survive. Then one day, they heard of a job that could change their life. A robbery of a simple professor who had treasures unlike anything they had ever heard of that they could sell to live a comfortable life somewhere far away. Everything was going according to their plan, until they found a strange glowing stone etched with magic runes. Her brother wanted the stone more than anything, but she didn’t like the influence it seemed to have over him, and wanted to keep it away. During their argument, the professor returned home, and the brother hit him with a candle stick in panic. During the scuffle, our narrator ran away with the stone, and later learned that the professor died from the blow.
She learned that the stone had wonderful abilities, like slowing her aging, and turning ordinary metals into gold, and she was able to live comfortably like her and her brother always dreamed, but the guilt of her escape ate away at her. Eventually, she was able to make contact with her brother again, and explained it all away as an accident, and as fear, but she hid the stone from him and its miraculous abilities. The brother in the meantime had started to study the magic books that he had stolen from the professor, and believed that he might be able to gain more power through the death of a certain demonic creature. Our friend agreed to help as she missed her brother terribly, and they started hunting throughout the world.
They managed to hunt down their target, but in the process, our friend lost her arm, and the brother decided to surgically attach the arm of the creature onto her. This appears to be how she got that odd arm of hers, and was apparently a planned experiment that the brother wished to undertake. The brother also learned that the sister still had the stone, and they fought before the sister managed to get the stone back, and run away once again.
She heard of her brother’s work as he started to experiment on adding monster pieces to people and eventually to himself. All in the hopes of extending his own life and power. Our narrator tried to stop him multiple times, but by the time she realized that she needed to he was already too powerful, so now, instead, she is staying at the Threshold Hotel in order to plan her next move.
See what fascinating stories you can hear about when you stop and talk to fellow wanderers. I am very thankful for the window into her lived experience, and wish her the best in her tragic adventures of sibling rivalry.
As always, safe travels dear wanderers,
T
